Gonzales: It's time to punish 'attempted' piracy

**Blodrast** · 06-29-2007, 18:40

http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-973...g=2547-1_3-0-5

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

June 28, 2007 1:40 PM PDT
Gonzales: It's time to punish 'attempted' piracy
Posted by Anne Broache

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales created quite a stir last month when he called for an aggressive rewrite of criminal copyright laws, including prison time for "attempted" copyright infringement, life behind bars for pirated software use, and more expansive wiretap authority in piracy investigations.

If anyone doubted his seriousness about that dramatic plan, look no further than the text of a speech the official delivered in Seattle on Wednesday.

"IP (intellectual property) theft is not a technicality, and its victims are not just faceless corporations--it is stealing, and it affects us all," Gonzales said, according to those prepared remarks, at an intellectual property event sponsored by the lobby group TechNet. "Those who seek to undermine this cornerstone of U.S. economic competitiveness believe that they are making easy money; that they are beyond the law. It is our responsibility and commitment to show them that they are wrong."

Urging the necessity of keeping the nation's copyright laws "up to date," he pointed specifically to the Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2007 (PDF), which was drawn up by his department and submitted to Congress in May.

In addition to the provisions mentioned above, that bill would allow more ready seizure of computers and other assets used to commit copyright crimes, punish certain "intended" copyright crimes, and require Homeland Security to alert the Recording Industry Association of America about attempts at importing "unauthorized fixations of the sounds, or sounds and images, of a live musical performance."

For a more detailed rundown of the additional penalties, crimes, and forfeiture of assets the Justice Department is backing, here's a handy list we prepared last month.

Although the Democratic-controlled Congress includes its fair share of copyright hawks, the attorney general hasn't been winning any popularity contests lately with the body as a whole lately, so the bill's prospects remain uncertain.

Update: A spokeswoman for Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), who heads the intellectual property panel that would handle such a proposal, said her boss is far more focused, at least for the time being, on bills dealing with patent system changes and immigration.

(emphasis mine)
Thoughts on this one ? I have my own, but I'll post them later...

**Ironside** · 06-29-2007, 18:54

Originally Posted by Blodrast

(emphasis mine)
Thoughts on this one ? I have my own, but I'll post them later...

I say we start using these laws for the congress, senate, attornies and music company directors and after running through these suspects, we'll evaluate the results.

Considering that this is life I also say that we'll have 25 years prescribation time and let them work retro-active.

**drone** · 06-29-2007, 18:56

I think Gonzales needs to worry about keeping his job, instead of taking money from the media conglomerates.

**Don Corleone** · 06-29-2007, 20:13

Originally Posted by drone

I think Gonzales needs to worry about keeping his job, instead of taking money from the media conglomerates.

After being such a buffoon and moron over the Attorney firings, he knows better than anybody he'll never find work once he's out of his current office. He's selling the office to line his pockets. Life in prison for attempting to copy a CD you bought and paid for... give me a freaking break...

**Ronin** · 06-29-2007, 20:37

O'er the land of the free ....ups

**doc_bean** · 06-29-2007, 23:45

Originally Posted by Blodrast

Thoughts on this one ?

Gonzales is insane, but we already knew this.

**Hosakawa Tito** · 06-30-2007, 00:43

Makes one pine for dear old Ashcroft, eh?

**AntiochusIII** · 06-30-2007, 01:05

Revolution!

Music has Power after all.

**Strike For The South** · 06-30-2007, 01:59

Glad to see there tackling the tough issues...Jackasses

**Alexander the Pretty Good** · 06-30-2007, 05:45

This guy has got to go.

**Whacker** · 06-30-2007, 06:27

Originally Posted by Don Corleone

He's selling the office to line his pockets.

Never has it been so obvious who the government's real constituency is, and who's interests they are protecting, cuz it certainly as hell isn't yours or mine.

Life in prison for attempting to copy a CD you bought and paid for... give me a freaking break...

This ALWAYS gets my blood pressure up when someone reminds me of this fact. I believe you can also kill and/or rape someone and still get less jail time as the max sentence. Something is seriously wrong with our nation when this becomes the case.

**Spetulhu** · 06-30-2007, 07:33

Originally Posted by Whacker

I believe you can also kill and/or rape someone and still get less jail time as the max sentence. Something is seriously wrong with our nation when this becomes the case.

It's called capitalism and greed. We sometimes complain about similar injustice over here, although it's taxes instead of corporate profits.

**Ironside** · 06-30-2007, 08:31

I guess we'll all see forward to Bijou's release in 10 years then.

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showp...3&postcount=15

Always lovely when they suggest laws without thinking about the consequencs, or are they planning to build in unfairness into the law from the beginning?

**doc_bean** · 06-30-2007, 09:40

If they actually go through with that i'd say it's about time to start overthrowing the government with all your guns like you always promised to do someday. Because this proves the American public is not what's leading the country.